'True Detective' Season 2: Can Vince Vaughn Pull It Off?

As an anthology, the second season of HBO’s True Detective will focus on an entirely different case than the first season, be set in a completely different location, and feature an entirely new cast. Of the confirmed cast members, the one that stands out most is Vince Vaughn—whose transition back to a serious role has mixed expectations.

New Setting. New Case. New Cast.

Creator of the show, Nic Pizzolatto, has said that the second season will be set between Los Angeles and San Francisco and show audiences “the places that don’t get much press and where you wouldn’t normally set a television show.”

HBO gave us some insight into the story with their official logline for the second season: “Three police officers and a career criminal must navigate a web of conspiracy in the aftermath of a murder.”

The leads have been confirmed, with Colin Farrel, Taylor Kitsch, and Rachel McAdams playing the police officers and with Vince Vaughn set to play the “career criminal.” Vaughn’s character is named Frank Seymon, a man who’s “in danger of losing his empire when his move into legitimate enterprise is upended by the murder of a business partner,” as described by HBO.

How Will Vaughn Perform?

The other three leads have shown themselves to be actors capable of handling a drama… and so has Vaughn—it’s just been a while. Vaughn has proven his range with serious (and at times frightening) performances as Norman Bates in the 1998 remake of Hitchcock’s Psycho and as Lester Long, a serial killer from the movie Clay Pigeons (also 1998).

Any actor forced to follow the exceptional acts of Matthew McConaughey and Woody Harrelson in the first season might be nervous—especially an actor who’s found comfort in comedy for as long as many of us can remember. But Vaughn doesn’t seem concerned: “It’s nice now to be mixing it up and doing something different with True Detective,” and added, “I thought Woody and Matthew did an exceptional job with the first season. This one’s very different, though. It’s a totally different story, with its own characters. The thing that’s consistent is the richness of the characters and the quality of the material.”

Perhaps the biggest challenge for actors going through a genre-change like this is having audiences take them seriously. This all starts with the actor’s ability to take himself seriously, however, and Vaughn is definitely doing that. From interviews he’s given, Vaughn has shown again and again that he’s engaged and eager to take on this new role.

We’re definitely looking forward to seeing exactly how well he handles this transition when season two premieres on Sunday, June 21st. Check out a teaser trailer for the new season below: